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Topics range from fishing and hunting to history and outdoor recreation. This is a weekly feature story sent on Thursday.

Recent stories

Give them a brake – be on the lookout for migrating turtles on roads

Be on the lookout for turtles, which are on the move this time of year. Late spring and early summer are times when turtles are moving en masse across the landscape. This overland movement often involves crossing roads, which unfortunately results in noticeable levels of turtle mortality throughout the state. That roadkill can be high enough to affect local populations and likely is the largest direct loss of adult turtles by humans.
Give them a brake – be on the lookout for migrating turtles on roads
A close-up photo of an eastern box turtle

The power of powder – Michigan woman transforms her love of snowmobiling into success

Jennifer "Jen" Julien – a Hemlock, Michigan, native – recently made it to the finals for the World Championship Snowmobile Hillclimb in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She was the oldest competitor in both of her races and the only finalist from Michigan.
The power of powder – Michigan woman transforms her love of snowmobiling into success
Jennifer Julien competing in the World Championship Snowmobile Hillclimb

Northern Michigan pathways named Pure Michigan Trails

Two trails in the northern Lower Peninsula are recipients of the 2025 Pure Michigan Trail designation, an annual recognition that spotlights some of the state’s best trail experiences. The Betsie Valley Trail, a 22-mile pathway extending from Frankfort through Elberta and Beulah to Thompsonville in Benzie County, and Chain of Lakes Water Trail, a 100-plus-mile inland water trail made up of 12 lakes and interconnected rivers in northwest Michigan, are this year’s Pure Michigan Trail recipients.
Northern Michigan pathways named Pure Michigan Trails
bicyclist on Betsie Valley Trail

Come along as teams hunt a tiny bug that threatens Michigan’s hemlock trees

Surveying trees near Ludington for an invasive insect known as hemlock woolly adelgid with a crew from the West Michigan Conservation Network.
Come along as teams hunt a tiny bug that threatens Michigan’s hemlock trees
A a hemlock woolly adelgid on a hemlock branch

The good times are now: Smallmouth bass fishing has never been better in Lake St. Clair

Now is the best time to be a bass angler on Lake St. Clair in at least the last 50 years. A new research study from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Lake St. Clair Fisheries Research Station looked at the smallmouth bass population to explore what might contribute to its success. What they found might surprise even the most avid Lake St. Clair anglers.
The good times are now: Smallmouth bass fishing has never been better in Lake St. Clair
researcher holds a big smallmouth bass from Lake St. Clair

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